Starlin Castro and Junior Lake leap as the Cubs' sweep left the Giants feeling blue.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Starlin Castro and Junior Lake leap as the Cubs' sweep left the...

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Cubs starter Travis Wood circles the bases after his third homer of the season as Tim Lincecum rubs up a new ball.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Cubs starter Travis Wood circles the bases after his third homer of...

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval throws out Chicago Cubs' Junior Lake at first base in the fifth inning of their baseball game, Sunday, July 28, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval throws out...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Welington Castillo #53 of the Chicago Cubs is congratulated by David DeJesus #9 after Castillo hit a solo home run in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Welington Castillo #53 of the Chicago...

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San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval hits an RBI-double off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Travis Wood during the fifth inning of their baseball game on Sunday, July 28, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval hits an RBI-double off Chicago...

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, center, stands on the mound after giving up a home run to the Chicago Cubs' Welington Castillo, right, who circles the bases in the seventh inning of their baseball game on Sunday, July 28, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, center, stands...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants reacts after striking out to end the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park on July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park on July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco...

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San Francisco Giants left fielder Jeff Francoeur watches as a home run hit by Chicago Cubs' Travis Wood falls into the stands during the fifth inning of their baseball game Sunday, July 28, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

San Francisco Giants left fielder Jeff Francoeur watches as a home...

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A pair of San Francisco Giants fans watch their team take the field against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of their baseball game Sunday, July 28, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

A pair of San Francisco Giants fans watch their team take the field...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park on July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Kensuke Tanaka #37 of the San Francisco Giants steals second base as the ball is thrown into centerfield past Starlin Castro #13 of the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at AT&T Park on July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Tanaka went to third on the throwing error. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

They'll be at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in full force Monday, but they might not be standing as tall as last time. In July 2011, when the Giants journeyed to Washington for their presidential high-five, they were in first place by four games after winning 11 of 15.

Now they're in last place after losing 22 of 30, including Sunday's 2-1 decision to the Cubs, who swept the Giants in San Francisco for the first time in 20 years.

"It hasn't really been talked about here," Tim Lincecum said in a quiet clubhouse of the Giants' White House itinerary.

Perhaps the postgame flight to Washington would help lighten the mood and give players an opportunity to reflect on the 2012 championship season, for which the team will be honored by President Obama.

The second trip to the White House might not be as festive as the first. In 2011, the Giants were coming off their first championship in 56 years. Even without Buster Posey, whose season-ending injuries occurred in late May, the Giants seemed the class of the division at the time they hobnobbed with the president.

Now they can't beat even the Cubs.

"Maybe it'll change our momentum," Pablo Sandoval said of the White House visit.

For the third straight day, a solid performance by a Giants starter was wasted. Lincecum gave up two runs in seven innings, and the series ERA for the three starters (including Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner) was 1.23.

Lincecum struck out 10 and walked two and also was the Giants' best hitter, going 2-for-2. But opposing pitcher Travis Wood, who's batting .293, also got two hits, including a home run. The Giants tied it with an unearned run, but Lincecum gave up another solo homer to Welington Castillo in the seventh inning.

"It's a little deflating," Lincecum said of the team's funk. "It can't be something to get us down. You're always looking for something to springboard us to something positive."

The Giants open a two-city trip Tuesday in Philadelphia, by way of Washington, where perhaps they could set up a batting cage on the South Lawn. The Giants hit .160 (15-for-94) against the Cubs and were 4-for-23 with runners in scoring position.

Reliever Javier Lopez called the gathering with the president an honor, adding, "Obviously, we've earned that right with what we did last year. The timing might not be the best with the way we've been playing, but there are still a lot of guys in this clubhouse who were part of it last year.

"Anytime you get to meet the commander in chief and go to the White House, it's something you'll always cherish."

Posey said, "I didn't get to go in 2011, being hurt, so I'm excited for the experience."

After the Giants' 2011 White House visit, they lost nine of 12 and soon fell from first place for good.

Badly against the bad

Before the Giants began a four-game series against Miami last month, they were 37-34 and in second place in the NL West, 1 1/2 games out of first. They are now 46-58 and in last place, 10 games back. One major reason: how they fared against three of the NL's worst teams in series at AT&T Park: